AN N UAL

R E P O R T

2018-19

#KindnessMatters

CONTENTS

3. ABOUT IMPACTHK

4. OUR IMPACT AT A GLANCE

5. LETTER FROM OUR CEO &

FOUNDER

7. OUR WORK

11. SUCCESS STORIES

13. FUTURE PLANS

14. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

15. LEADERSHIP

Ab o u t

I m p a c t H K

Their job is showing kindness to individuals in need

and this meaningful act further helps them on their

journey.

But we know that providing homes and jobs is

simply not enough. We have demonstrated time

and time again that a holistic approach is needed;

while employed part-time for ImpactHK, our

beneficiaries must take part in classes, which

include counselling (both in groups and one-on-

one), mentorship and goal-setting, nutrition, sports,

english lessons and art therapy. By attending these

classes and coming to our Centres everyday, we are

able to get to know each individual on a one-to-one

basis and help make a truly tailor-made plan for

them.

When our employed beneficiaries are healthy,

happy and able to find independence, some

graduate to work elsewhere and others stay on to

work for us. But whatever the situation the priority

for us is to remain in their lives. We know that

connection and friendship can combat the isolation

that forces people to become homeless. This is the

magic ingredient in everything we do; treating

everyone as a friend and building a community.

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ImpactHK is a charity tackling the problem of

homelessness in Hong Kong. We transform lives

because we believe in kindness, care and

opportunity for all. We believe in the power of

kindness in tackling the pressing problem of

homelessness in Hong Kong. Our journey

started with a simple aim of doing one act of

kindness per month for the homeless - a group

of friends going for a walk on the streets and

delivering food. We have grown significantly

since then and have been a registered charity in

Hong Kong since March 2017.

Hundreds of volunteers have contributed their

time and energy in support of the less fortunate

and together we have evolved into a powerful

humanitarian movement making a positive

impact on the plight of the homeless in Hong

Kong; in just two years we have housed and

employed almost 100 people.

ImpactHK’s goal is to earn trust and develop

friendships with the homeless in Hong Kong.

After which, we house our homeless friends and

they work part-time for ImpactHK, serving and

supporting the homeless and elderly at our

centre, the Guestroom, and out on the streets.

O u r i m p a c t

a t a g l a n c e

700MEALS SERVED WEEKLY AT

OUR CENTRE

The number of meals we serve each week

at our centre The Guestroom

30 HOMELESS FRIENDS EMPLOYED

Homeless individuals employed as part of our

Community Helpers programme to date

1MAGIC INGREDIENT

The only commonality amongst all

homeless individuals in Hong Kong is that

they are all in need of a great friend

800HOMELESS FRIENDS

SUPPORTED WEEKLY ON THE

STREETS

The number of homeless individuals served

on the streets by our dedicated volunteers

46HOMELESS FRIENDS HOUSED

The number of homeless individuals for

whom we have provided shelter

8AREAS SERVED WEEKLY

Fortress Hill, North Point, Sai Wan Ho,

Happy Valley, Sham Shui Po, Tai Kok Tsui,

Yau Ma Tei and Mongkok

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L E T T E R F R O M

O U R F O U N D E R &

C E O

It gives me great pleasure to present our Annual Report for the year ended March 31st

2019.  

It has been another incredible year of growth for ImpactHK; we increased our outreach

to over 60 Kindness Walks per month and we served an average of 700 meals every

week at our centre.

It was also a year in which we continued to learn and quickly adapt to better support

our homeless beneficiaries. Our first centre, the Guestroom has been busier than ever,

proving that our approach to earning the trust of the homeless on the streets is working.

Having this space gives us the opportunity to build on the friendships that we make on

the streets and get to know our homeless friends on a one-to-one basis. 

We know that it hurts having your friend sleeping outside and when we have homeless

friends demonstrating a willingness and ability for change, we have acted on it with

great urgency. During this period we helped 46 individuals into permanent shelter and

employed 30 of them.

Our model for helping the homeless off the streets by earning trust, building friendships,

housing and employment is working.  Our holistic support programmes with daily sport

and art classes, counselling and mentorship further strengthens their opportunity to find

a new path towards health and happiness.

But above all, our understanding of the important role that friendship plays in

empowering individuals has remained unwavering. We continued to focus on ways to

better support our beneficiaries with opportunities for connection, fun and happiness.

Dear friends of

ImpactHK,

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Looking ahead, ImpactHK strives to create massive impact in Hong Kong and to do

this we have broadened our remit. This year we launched our education programme,

which has gone from strength to strength and now we work with over a dozen

schools. In this programme we teach children and young adults the importance of

caring for individuals in need and how they can create positive change in the world.

We are getting great feedback from schools, who are truly benefitting from this

lesson. This is part of our long term theory of change; we believe that empowering

and educating our youth will go on to contribute towards ending homelessness in

Hong Kong.   

We have many more plans in our mission to help end homelessness. We aim to open

our second location in the next few months, which will be a sports and counselling

centre. Here we can dedicate more time and space to our holistic support

programme, which is essential for homeless individuals on our programme.

Attendance at daily art or sport classes, for example, can provide a great indicator of

someone’s willingness and ability to change.  

We will also continue to expand our outreach to new neighbourhoods, adding

Kindness Walks so that we can serve new homeless communities. This will in turn

create further volunteering opportunities, which helps to build the momentum

when it comes to destigmatising homelessness and educating the wider public. 

ImpactHK didn’t start with the ambition of becoming a charity, but by taking that

first step to help those in need we have been able to achieve so much. Our

ImpactHK team will continue working every day to do all we can to fight for the less

fortunate. The homeless in Hong Kong are facing unbelievable adversity and pain.

Together we can and will save so many lives. 

As ever, we couldn’t have done it without such widespread support from our

volunteers, donors and staff. We are grateful to our partners, especially HandsOn

Hong Kong who galvanise dedicated volunteers to participate in our Kindness Walks.

It is this kindness that keeps the ImpactHK ship afloat and I would like to thank all of

you who have contributed for your love and care. 

#KindnessMatters

Jeff Rotmeyer

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Our Kindness Walks make up our daily outreach to people in need on the streets, where

we distribute food and necessities to the homeless and spread kindness. They form the

bedrock of ImpactHK’s charitable work and it is here that our journey began. We’ve

come a long way in just a few years; we now run close to 60 Kindness Walks in different

locations throughout Hong Kong each month, serving roughly 800 meals on the streets

each week. Along the way, we also support others in need, such as the elderly, street

cleaners and the poor. 

We couldn’t do this without the contribution of our volunteers who play a vital role in

helping to build trust on the streets by showing kindness. Since March 2018, we have

partnered with HandsOn Hong Kong to extend the reach of our Kindness Walks and

volunteers can register via the HandsOn Hong Kong website. We have 20 dedicated

Kindness Walk Leaders who are educating and supervising participants and allow our

Kindness Walks to be run every single day all across Hong Kong in the following

locations: 

Sham Shui Po, Fortress Hill, North Point, Mong Kok, Sai Wan Ho, Happy Valley, Tai Kok

Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Wan Chai.

Building on the popularity of our Kindness Walks, we have also started offering Private

Kindness Walks to organisations, which is proving to be an effective way to introduce

organisations to our work. It is through this outreach that we make the initial

connection with our homeless friends and start to build trust. Here we can inform them

about our services and gradually, once they’re ready, they come to our Centre.

O u r

W o r k

The situation for the homeless in Hong Kong is severe and people are dying everyday.

The number of registered homeless individuals in Hong Kong is at 1,270 according to the

government Population and Household Statistics (2019). But through our work we know

that the actual number is far higher. Very few individuals actually register as homeless, in

fact, less than 20 per cent of the individuals we've helped were officially registered. 

The situation is also getting worse; there has been a 51 per cent rise in registered street

sleepers over the past five years (according to 2019 research from LegCo). Thousands of

individuals are homeless on the streets of Hong Kong, alone and without hope.

The homeless in Hong Kong

Kindness Walks

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In just over a year, the Guestroom has become a well-known place of sanctuary and

support for the homeless community. The day centre is in Tai Kok Tsui serves over 700

meals a week and anyone in need can come in and have a tea or coffee. The space has

enabled us to establish a permanent physical presence in the area and according to one

beneficiary, it is now ‘famous in the nearby community’. 

We offer a range of support services here, from a clothing bank to laundry services and

feminine hygiene items to hairdressing. It is a safe space where our homeless friends

can have some relief from life on the streets and come to relax, seek comfort and

socialise. Outside on the porch we have a community fridge full of donated food and

beverages and anyone can help themselves.  

At ImpactHK we believe in a holistic approach and the Guestroom has allowed us to

build on this. It has become a hub for all of ImpactHK’s programmes and activities,

including fitness, yoga and english lessons. This is where we carry out our one-to-one

mentoring, weekly counselling and goal-setting, helping beneficiaries to think about

their future. Above all it has continued to be a space of community and connection,

where we get to know our homeless friends and get them the help they need.

The Guestroom

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When a homeless individual has shown commitment and the capability to take

responsibility for themselves, ImpactHK will house them. We are committed to helping

our homeless friends gain independence and move into a home of their own. This is

done on a case by case basis and we offer financial assistance for their housing deposit

and first month’s rent. Thereafter, these individuals will have to manage their own

finances and pay their own rent. Since ImpactHK was founded we have housed 46

individuals. We are also able to offer temporary housing relief to those in desperate

need. 

At ImpactHK, we believe that providing housing first is critical in helping someone to

get back on their feet. It’s impossible to look after health and wellbeing if you’re living on

the streets, let alone to hold down a job.

We understand that having meaningful and paid work underpins the road to

independence for our homeless friends; we believe in empowering people with a hand

up, rather than just a handout. At the Guestroom, we offer employment to Community

Helpers who are paid to carry out ImpactHK’s work. They cook food at the Guestroom,

prepare and deliver items for our Kindness Walks, keep our Centre clean and a number

of other duties, which involve serving the community and giving back. These individuals

are also provided with a nurturing environment, in which they can improve and grow

their transferable work skills. And on a practical level this helps our homeless friends

with a reliable and stable source of income for them to pay their rent.

This year alone we are proud to have employed 30 community helpers. As we grow we

will be able to create more jobs, which will not only allow us to help more people, but

also allow our members to have more diverse options for employment.

Housing Programme

Community Helpers Programme

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This aspect of our programme has developed in response to demand from schools who

were requesting speaking and information sharing sessions. ImpactHK now visits a

range of primary and secondary educational institutions for which we ask for a donation.

We inform young people about homelessness in Hong Kong and the work that we’re

doing to tackle the problem. It is an important facet of our work, to raise awareness

among the next generation and one that we will build on as we grow.

Education Programme

"The lessons our kids learnt today are

beyond those that I can teach in a

classroom and I just wanted to let you

know how much it was appreciated. I

hope that this work will educate our kids

so that they can continue making a

difference for our future"

#KindnessMatters

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We first met this sweet-natured lady in a garden near Mong Kok during our regular Kindness

Walks. Her smile and gentle demeanour was always inviting, despite her tough

surroundings. 

Every day we’d return to the garden and Por Por would be there with her friends selling

whatever random items so that she could afford food for that day. Sadly this is a very

common scene in Hong Kong, with many seniors struggling to find work. 

We knew that Por Por was in great need, but we didn’t think she was homeless. Then one of

our team was passing by the garden early one morning and we saw her sleeping there. The

garden is right next to a refuse centre and a wet market, so Por Por was surrounded by rats.

It’s heartbreaking to see anyone in such a situation, but it is completely unacceptable for a

lady of her age to be in this situation. We knew we had to act.

The very next morning we went to have a conversation with her, so that we could better

understand her situation. We found out that she’d been sleeping in either the garden or

McDonalds for a long time. She also mentioned that she used to be a street cleaner for

nearly twenty years.

We explained to her that we could help her by getting her into shelter that night. Thanks to

the trust we had already earned, through our outreach on the streets, she felt comfortable

with us. She allowed us to check her into a nearby hotel. She had no identification or

money. Since that day, our team and dedicated volunteers take her to the doctor monthly.

We have been paying for her apartment near to her garden in Mong Kok so that she is in a

familiar area. We have applied for her public housing, but we have been told it will take a

minimum of two years.

Although the investment to house and support Por Por is a big one for us as a charity, we

take our role in caring for her very seriously. We will continue to ensure she is well looked

after and not alone.

S u c c e s s

S t o r i e s

Success Story

one: Por Por

Por Por in Mong Kok garden Por Por in her new apartment

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When we first met David, he was alone and sleeping in the park in West Kowloon. Sleeping

outside for nights on end is extremely difficult, but unless you’ve been through it, it can be

hard to really imagine what it must be like. In the summer you are bitten to shreds by bugs

and in the winter it’s cold and damp. You’re disturbed throughout the night and there is

always the risk that you’re going to get hurt or injured by passersby. Fundamentally,

wherever you try to lay your head, you are unwelcome. Coupled with terrible diet from a

shortage of food, this has a crippling effect on your physical health and your mental health. 

David was also incredibly frustrated at not being able to find work. It was a constant cycle of

challenges, with most employers requiring that you have an address, being homeless can

make it impossible to get any sort of work. The hurt and hopelessness one feels sleeping on

the streets - not to mention having nothing to do with your day because you can’t get work

- really traumatises and damages people.

The tragic truth is that though David was lonely and isolated, he was actually not alone in

his pain and suffering. We have seen stories like David’s time and time again among our

homeless friends. 

Despite the odds being stacked against him, when we met David he was chatty and keen

to connect. We soon housed and employed David and he instantly became our hardest

worker. He loved cooking and did everything he could to help out at the Guestroom. It was

clear to see how much he wanted to prove his worth. It was also great to see how much he

liked helping people. David worked with us for many months and during that time he

continued to see our counsellor and have mentorship. He also voluntarily joined a lot of our

extra classes. 

David has now graduated from ImpactHK and is working full time as a centre Caretaker for

disability charity Love 21 Foundation. In this role David is helping the Down Syndrome and

autistic community and it’s been amazing to see him smiling and laughing. 

Often society and also these homeless individuals make the mistake of thinking that simply

a job can solve all their issues. In fact, having steady income or a job is just one piece of the

puzzle. Friendship and connection is also crucial. David has told us how lonely he was when

he was living on the streets, isolated and abandoned and let down. But now, not only does

David have a community in his place of work, he also comes to visit us at the Guestroom

during his holidays. He is a friend for life and a rewarding example of how important the

component of friendship is when it comes to empowering individuals off the streets.

Success story two: David

David with founder Jeff Rotmeyer after signing

his work contract

David at work at Love 21 Foundation Ka Man and David taking part in our sports

programme

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f u t u r e

p l a n s

ANOTHER CENTRE

The Guestroom has been a roaring success

but it is so popular that we are looking to

open a dedicated sports and counselling

centre. In March 2019 Kadoorie Charitable

Foundation approved funds to establish

this and we are very excited to collaborate

with them. It will have a full programme of

classes in order to continue our holistic

approach and will have the space for

fitness, table tennis, music classes and

much more. It will also have a private space

for counselling.

ImpactHK has achieved so much in just

two years of operation as a charity. We

are very excited about growing even

more in the coming years, so that we

can offer more kindness to those in

need and arm them with the resources

to transform their lives for the better.

Our plans include:

STAFF TEAM

In January 2019 we were able to take on a

full time Programme Manager. Next year

we intend to employ a Programme

Coordinator, Education specialist and full

time Counsellor. This will allow us to

provide further support for all of our

homeless friends by strengthening our

programmes and developing services.

PUBLIC KINDNESS WALKS

We added a new public Kindness Walk in

Wan Chai in February 2019 thanks to the

dedicated help of our volunteers and next

year we will be build on this and expand

our offering to include new locations.

PRIVATE KINDNESS WALKS

Next year we will seek to offer more private

Kindness Walks for corporates and other

organisations, which can be tailored to their

needs and will provide a great source of

unrestricted funding.

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

We will build on the popularity of the

ImpactHK education programme and will

also introduce Kindness Walks for schools.

SENIORS PROGRAMME

In our outreach and at the Guestroom, we

are hosting an increasing amount of elderly

guests, individuals who might have a home

but are very lonely and isolated and often

unable to cook for themselves, for example.

We will develop our services so that we can

help this group and also seek funding that

can directly help homeless seniors.

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F I NAN C IAL

H I G H L I G H T S

14

Use of Donations

Jeff Rotmeyer - Founder & CEOJeff is a former secondary school teacher who founded ImpactHK

because he saw an urgent need for fresh ideas for solving

homelessness in Hong Kong. He has seen that multiple

connections are essential for overcoming difficult times and is

extremely passionate about giving people in need an opportunity

for happiness.

L EAD E R S H I P

Staff Team

Kathryn Yuen - Programme CoordinatorKathryn came to ImpactHK with a wealth of experience in coordination

and administrative work and was the charity’s first member of staff. She

does an expert job of managing the Guestroom, working closely with

our many Community Helpers to welcome the dozens of visitors who

come everyday. Her friendliness and sense of humour has fostered a

kind and loving space where our beneficiaries feel supported.

Michelle Wong - Programme ManagerMichelle has a background in worker’s rights and trade unions

and joined the team in January 2019 bringing over a decade of

experience in the social sector. She has a masters degree in

grassroots rights and is inspired by the strength of the

underprivileged. She is passionate about strengthening

programmes for the homeless and has done a masterful job of

finessing our services and implementing new ideas as we have

grown.

Board of Directors

We have appointed an experienced and diverse Board of Directors who are dedicated to the

ImpactHK mission, provide advice and counsel and oversee operations. They are:

Appel, Terri Crystal-Gibbs

Goenka, Geet

Seymour-Jones, Elizabeth Ann 

Sujanani, Sunil N. 

Syngkon, Cliffton Andrew Jones 

Wong, Peter Wai Heng

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T HAN K Y O U

#KindnessMatters

Visit our website: www.impacthk.org

Follow us online: www.facebook.com/impacthkcharity/ 

Instagram: @ImpactHKCharity

Twitter @ImpactHK

Send us an email: hello@impacthk.org

Give us a call: +85224480011

Or best of all, drop by the Guestroom: G/F, Cherry Mansion, 29 Oak Street, Tai Kok Tsui,

Kowloon, Hong Kong

G E T I N T O U C H

We would like to say an enormous thank you for your support and passion in helping the

homeless in Hong Kong. It has enabled us to push forward with our vision for saving lives.

ImpactHK relies on Kindness and we couldn’t do this without you.